Air flow cooler



Aug. 5, 1941. I v, WARREN I 2,251,725

AIR FLOW COOLER Filed 09's. 10, 1939 Patented Aug. 5, 1941 AIR FLOW COOLER Virgil P. Warren, Miami, Fla.; assignor to The Warren Company, Incorporated, Atlanta, Ga.

Application October 10, 1939, Serial No. 298,854

2 Claims. (01. 62-102) This invention relates to refrigeration and more particularly to reach-in or walk-in coolers.v

One object of this invention is to' provide an improved cooler of the class described.

Another object is to provide a compact refrigcrating element for walk-in coolers.

A further object is to provide a walk-in cooler wherein movement of the circulating air is effected in such a manner as to preclude the formation of dark spots upon meats being cooled.

Yet another object is .to provide a cooler of the class described, which is highly eflicient in operation.

Still another object is to provide a cooler wherein the refrigerant passing to the compressor is always dry.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the various view is illustrated in Figure 1 showing the appli cation of features of this inventive concept, to the interior of a walk-in or reach-in cooler for preserving meats or other articles. In the art of refrigerating meats, and especially in the type of coolers herein contemplated, there'has been a common difliculty resulting from the accumulation of warm bodies of air in the tops of these coolers." creating unsuitable temperature conditions around the upper portions of the stored sections of meat, as well as the so-called dead spots in the circulation of air streams throughout the cooler. Furthermore, it the circulating air stream is allowed to impinge upon the meat itself. a dehumidiying action takes place, resultin in the meat being given a darker appearance, which is unsatisfactory insofar as the customer is concerned. One of the objects of this invention is to provide a cooler of the class described which is tree of the diflicuities enumerated.

In Figure 1, means for effecting the circulation of air in a cooler of this type is shown, comprisin cooling unit l0 mounted upon the back wall it of the cooler I I". The cooler will normally comprise an enclosure, and the coolingunit or means will normally be secured upon a side wall thereof generally adjacent the ceiling. The cooling unit per se includes a metallic housing l2 composed of side walls [3 and I4 and end walls l5 and I6, in which heat transfer means are located.

The side walls l5 and I6 are provided with outlets l'! and I8 in their lower ends, so that the cooled air may flow out of the cooling element and into the cooler unit while receiving the proper direction of flow adjacent the outlet. The direction of flow is accomplished by deflecting plates H] which are secured to the back wall of the casing by fastening means 20 and which have sloping side surfaces 2| and 22 to direct the air stream sideways of the unit, while at the same time having a tapering wall 23 to throw the air outwardly into the enclosure. The unit is generally spaced above the floor 21 of the chamber, as at 28, to provide more efiicient air circulation. The lower end of the housing is closed by a bottom wall 29 in which the deflecting means l9 may rest.

The top 30 of the enclosure can be placed closer to the floor thereby reducing the area in which warm air may accumulate. This assists in eliminating the large bodies of warm air which frequently circulate'about'the upper portions of the meat hanging in the cooler, and thereby materially increases the efiectiveness of the cooler. The upper end of the -cooling element is closed by a top end wall 3! and the sides are provided with intake openings 32 and 33. A motor unit 34 is preferably secured centrally to the end 3| and may be provided with two suction fans 35 and 36 to slowly draw the warm air from the cooler into the top of the casing J0 and to allow it to flow downwardly'through the respective conduits 31 and 38 into the cooling coil 39 and thence out of the openings I! and i8 at the bottom of the casing, into the cooler proper. The evaporator,

or cooling coil 39- is arranged generally in the form of a plurality of interconnecting substantially U-shaped coils 40 with a plurality of baflles 4i. dividing the cooling unit into a great many I parallel cells, The outer end walls 42 and 43 are so related to the outside walls 44 and 45 coming from the suction fans that the air flows freely through the cooling unit and does not flow about the end bends 44 and 45' of the pipe, thereby eliminating turbulence.

The parts are so organized and designed that the air stream .flowihg through the cooler generally along the lines of the arrows is sufficiently slow to eliminate any possibility of discoloring results from the narrowly spaced walls l3 and I4, which will allow the unit to be placed in a cooler behind the meat hanging rails or shelving, withthe,meat.by cooling. The air, by slowly and con- I tinuously moving about and through the cooling I coils 39, precludes the formation of frost, and

the coils will always remain in' an effective condition. As indicated in Figure 4, the air flow extends uniformly through the reach-in cooler so that dead air spaces are entirely eliminated, without any rapid air flow throughout the cooler and also without any direct impingement of cool air streams upon the articles being refrigerated. Rapid air movement is definely avoided;

.In. Figure 3, the evaporator 39 is represented schematically with a pipe 46 extending therefrom to the compressor 41. It is highly desirable-that the refrigerant entering the compressor be entirely in gaseous form so that harmwill be avoided which would normally result from an attempt to compress liquid refrigerant. This is attained by letting the compressor refrigerant from the compressor 41 flow through the line 48 to the, condensor 49 andthence to a receiver 50,

from which the liquid flows through a small pipe to the expansion valve 52, and intermediate the receiver and expansion valve in heat 'exchange relation at the point 53 with the exhaust refrigerant coming from. the evaporator.

frigerant line is maintainedat such temperature that dry gas will always be received by the compressor. The refrigerant from the expansion valve follows the pipe 55 to the evaporator, and the flow cycle continues. A thermostat 56 is suitably positioned to maintain appropriate tem- 51 acting perature conditions by the connection ,on the control of the expansion. valve.

The operation of the cooling unit involves suction fans, as .distinguished from blowers commonly used in the prior art. It also depends upon theslow but continuous air circulation as distinct from rapid circulation coming from the previously used blowers; Dehydration and consequen t discploration of the meats or. drying out of products thereby eliminated. .The exhaust of suction fans into the cooling coils allows gravity circulation of the re-circulated air, with a very gentle air how of the cooledair from the bottom of the casing. l2. With'a unit-of the out interfering with the normal storage capacity of the cooler. Dry gas is always returned to' the compressor.

. Although a preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated'and described, variations within the true spirit and scope of the same are to be determined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An air flow cooler comprising in combina tion an elongated shallow housing having side and front walls and adapted to be positioned against the inner wall of a cooling chamber, an

air inlet adjacent the top of a side wall, suction means for inducing air through said inlet in a very slow draft; downwardly directed conduits for said induced air, a conduit for a cooling medium arranged in coils with straight stretches thereof extending transversely of the housing,

The-- temperature of the portion 54 of the liquid retype herein contemplated, it is not thought un-- common .to maintain a temperature differential of 2 to 4 degrees between thetop and bottom of the cooler. Another great advantage-of the unit bends of the coil scendingcool air vertically extending spaced battles with the out ermost baffles spaced from the side walls of the housing and through which baflles' said straight stretches of the coil extend and between which the induced air is discharged with the bends of of increasing cross-section for said induced air,-a

.conduit for a coding medium arrangedin coils with straight stretches thereof extending transversely of the housing, vertically extending spaced battles with the outermost baflles spaced from the side Walls of the housing, through which said straight stretches of the coil extend with the the side and front walls of the housing adjacent the bottom thereof, and a deflector adjacent said outlet openings to direct dethrough said openings.

- VIRGIL P. WARREN.

walls of the housing the side walls, suction means for inducingair through said inlets in a very slow draft, downwardly directed conduits positioned between the said walls of the housing, and the outermost baflles, outlet openings in 

